2011 AUDI A6 warning lights

App lies to vehicl es: wi th t ir e pr essure mon it o ring system
Tire pressure monitoring system - telltale
indicator Lamp '
The warning/indicator light appears in the event of a
significant loss of tire pressure or if there is a malfunc­
tion .
The indicator light 'J illuminates to check the func tion when you
switch on the ignition.
If the
I symbol remains on or blinks after you sw itch on the ignit ion,
there is a loss of tire pressure or a system malfunction . If there is a
system malfunction, see your author ized Audi dealer as soon as
possible.
Detailed information on the tire pressure monitoring system can be
found in=>
page 314. •
Turn signals ¢ ¢
The indicator light blinks when you use either turn signal.
Whenever you use the left¢ or the right¢ turn signal, the indicator
light blinks. When you use the emergency flashers, both indicator
lights flash .
If one of the turn signa l light bu lbs burn out, the turn signal will blink
twice as fast as normal. •
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) !'.I
The Malfunct ion Indicator Lamp ( MIL) is part of the On-Board Diag­
nostic (OBD II) system . The symbol lights up when the ignition is
t u rned on and will turn off after the engi ne has started and has
sett led at a constant idle speed. This indicates that the MIL is working
properly .
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
In
strum ents and warning /indicator lights
The warning light illuminates when there is a malfunction in the
engine electron ic system. Contact your author ized Audi dealer and
have the malfunction corrected .
An imp rope rly clo sed fu el fille r cap ma y al so cau se the M IL l ight to
illum in ate =>
page 2 75.
For more information=> page 23. •
App lies to vehicles : w ith lane ass ist
Lane assist (system is ready) /:
T he ind icator light shows that the system is ready to use . A warn ing
aler ts the driver when the veh icle drives over de tected lane boundary
lines.
More information about lane assist=>
page 134. •
Applies to vehi cles : wit h lane assis t
Lane assist (system is not ready) I
The indicator light shows that the system is turned on but unab le to
send a warn ing .
Mo re information about lane assist =>
page 134. •
Safety belts ,i
This warning/indicator light reminds you to put on your
safety belt.
The 4t warning/indicator light illuminat es when th e ignition is
switched on to rem ind the d river and (on USA models only) any front
pass enger to put on the safety b elt. Add itionally, an acoustic wa rning
(gong) will a lso sound.
For more Information=>
page 187, "Safety belt warning light~".•
Vehicle care Technical data

Instruments and warning /indicator lights
Adaptive Air Suspension
~
This warning/indicator light has the following functions :
• It illuminates for a few seconds after the ignition is t urned on as
function check and then goes out .
• If the warn ing/ind icator light illuminates or blinks continuously,
there is a system fault in the Adaptive Air Suspension . A system fault
can result in limited r ide comfort and
lo w gro un d cle arance. Drive
safely to the nearest authorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop,
and have the fault corrected .
• If the warning/indicator light flashes, you should not drive the
vehicle . The flashing warning/indicator light po ints to an extreme
High level. A very
pronounced lifting of the vehicle (extreme High
level) can resu lt, for example, when a heavy load is removed from the
vehicle . As soon as the level has returned to normal, the
warning/indicator light stops flashing, and you can drive away.
• If the warning/ind icator light flashes in conjunction with the
a,
warning/ indicator light, you shou ld not drive off immediately in order
to prevent damage to the underbody . The two warn ing/indicator
lights flashing together points to an extreme Low level. A
very
pronounced lowering of the vehicle (extreme Low leve l) can result,
for examp le, from a heavy load. As soon as the leve l has returned to
normal , the warning/ indicator lights stop flash ing, and you can drive
away.
0 Note
If the warning/indicator light flashes in conjunction with the a,
warning/indicator light, you should not drive the vehicle because low ­
lying vehicle parts can bottom ou t as you drive over uneven ground
and be damaged as a result. •
Adaptive Air Suspension c.:)
This wa rning/indicator light has the following functions : •
It illuminates for a few seconds after the ignition is turned on as
fu nction check and then goes out.
• It comes on for approximately 15 seconds as a warning of
redu ced
gr oun d clea ra nc e,
if the dynamic mode is activated and if the ignition
is switched on =>
page 169, "Chassis controls" .
• If the warning/indicator light flashes in conjunction with the
warning/indicator light, you shou ld not drive the vehicle immed iate ly
in orde r to prevent damage to the underbody. The two wa rning/indi­
cator lights flashing together points to an extreme Low level. A very
pronounced lowering of the veh icle (extreme Low leve l) can res ult,
for example, from a heavy load . As soon as the level has returned to
normal, the warning/indicator lights stop flashing, and you can drive
away.
0 Note
If the wa rning/ind icator light flashes in conjunction with the
warning/indicator light, you should not drive the vehicle because low ­
lying vehicle parts can bottom out as you drive over uneven ground
and be damaged as a result. •
High beam ~D
The ~D warning/indicator light illuminates when the high beams are
on or whe n you use the headlight flasher. Fo r more informat ion about
using the high beams, see=>
page 62. •
Cruise control
CRUISE (USA models) /(lJ1 (Canada models)
The warning/indicator light illuminates when the cruise control is
activated .•

Anti-lock brake system (ABS)
A ...
.j {USA models) /..., {Canada models)
This warning/indicator light monitors the ABS and the
electronic differential lock (EDL) .
The warning/indicator light will come on for a few seconds when the
ign ition is switched on . The light w ill go out after an a utomat ic check
sequence is comp leted .
There is a malfunction in the ABS when: • Th e warn ing/ indic ator light does not ill uminate when you swi tch
on the ig nit io n.
• Th e warn ing/ in dic ator lig ht does not go out a fter a few se conds .
• The warning/ind icator light illuminates while d riving.
The brake sy stem will still re spond even without the a ssistance of
the ABS system . See your authorized Audi dealer as soon as
possible to restore full braking performance.
For more i nformat ion
regarding the ABS=>
page 246.
The ABS warning l ight and the brake warning light come on
together. The ABS will not work and you will noti ce a change in
brak ing response and performance.
Malfunction in the brake system
If the brake warning light=> page 18 and the ABS warning ill uminate
together there may be a malfu nction in t he A BS, a nd there may a lso
be a malfunction in the brake system itself=>& .
In the even t of a
malfunction in the b rake system the warning/ indi ­
ca tor light
BRAKE (U SA mode ls)/ ((])) (Canada models) in the instrume nt
cl uster flashes . By p ressing the
I C H ECK ) button, you ca n bring up a
dr iver message w hic h explains the malfunc tion in mo re de tail. Please
not e=>
pag e 26 .
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
Instruments and warning
/indicator lights
Malfunction in the electroni c differential lock (EDL)
Th e ED L wor ks toge ther w it h the ABS . The A BS wa rning light will
come on if t he re is a malfunction in the EDL system=>
page 243. See
your authorized Aud i dea le r as soon as poss ible.
& WARNING
• If the ... Is~ (USA models)/ d (Canada models ) warning light
does not go out , o r if it comes on while driving, the ABS system is
not working properly . The vehicle can then be stopped only with
the standard brakes (without ABS ). You w ill not have the protec­
tion ABS provide s. Contact your Aud i dealer as soon as pos sible.
• USA models: If the BRAKE warning light and the 9 warning
light come on together, the rear wheel s could lock up fir st under
hard braking. Rear wheel lock-up can cau se los s of vehicle control
and an accident . Have your vehicle repaired immediately by you r
authorized Audi dealer or a qualified work shop. Drive slowly and
avoid sudden, hard brake applications.
• Canada models : If the brake warning light «D> and the ABS
warning light come on together , the rear wheels could lock up
first under hard braking . Rear wheel lock -up can cause loss of
vehicle control and an accident. Have your vehicle repaired imme­
diately by your authorized Audi dealer or a qualified work shop.
Drive slowly and a void sudden, hard brake applications. •
Electromechanical parking brake
~E {USA models) /(®) {Canada models)
The warning/indicator light monit ors the electromechan­
ical parking brake.
With the parking bra ke app lied and the ignition turned o n, t he
warning/indicator light illum inates. After the ign ition has been
t u rned
off, the wa rni ng/ind icator light co nti nu es to i llumi nate for
abou t 30 seconds . If the parki ng brake is applied w it h the ignition _,,
Vehicle care Technical data

Instruments and warning/indicator lights
tu rned off, the warning/ind icator light illum inates for abo ut 30
s e co nd s.
Th e warn ing/i ndicator lig ht w ill go out whe n the parking brake is
re lease d.
If the w arn ing/ indi ca tor li ght flas hes c ontinuou sly
after applying th e
park ing brake, braking force is not suffic ient to p revent the vehicle
fro m rolling unin te n ti onally. Pleas e note the following:
• If th e slope of the g round is too ste ep to pa rk the vehicle, the addi­
tional drive message ap pea rs
Caution: Vehicle parked too steep .
• In th e eve nt of a pa rk ing bra ke malfunc tion, t he yellow symbol
appea rs in the inst rument cluste r display a nd the dr ive r message
Parking brake auto release: system fault is displayed . Have the
ma lf u nctio n re paire d as soo n as poss ible by a qualified Audi
dea le rs hi p.•
Brake system BRAKE (USA
models)
/ {Q)) (Canada models)
The war ning/in dic ator li ght flash es i f br ake fluid le vel is
low , if t he re i s an A BS sys te m malfu nction or a pa rking
b rake malf unct ion.
The lig ht ill um inates when the ign it io n is tu rned on . It goes out afte r
t he engi ne has been st arted. This indicat es tha t the b ra k e war ning
light is functioning proper ly.
If the brake warning light does not light up when the engine is
cranking, there may be a malfunction in the electrical system. In
this case, contact your Audi dealer.
If the b ra ke sys tem w arning/i nd ic a tor light flashes, there is a br ake
system malfunction . By press ing the [
CHECK ] button, you can bring
up a driver mess age whi ch expl ain s t he m alfunc tion in mo re de ta il
=>page 26 .
If the ABS fa ils, t he ABS war ning/ indica to r li ght (USA
mod els)/ (Canada mo dels) fla shes toge ther wi th th e bra ke syste m
warni ng/ind icator light=> &.
(USA models):
If the warning light BRAKE and the wa rnin g light illu­
m inate toge ther, im media tely con tac t you r author ized A udi dealer or
qualif ied workshop to have all brake pads inspected=>
page 31.
When the ligh t comes on, an a udible w arnin g signal is also give n.
& WARNING
• USA models: If the BRAKE warning light and the r i,~ warning
light come on together, the rear wheels could lock up first under
hard braking . Rear wheel lock-up can cause loss of vehicle control
and an accident . Have your vehicle repaired immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer or a qualified workshop . Drive slowly and
avoid sudden, hard brake applications.
• Canada models : If the brake warning light (CD) and the ABS
warning light :::; come on together, the rear wheels could lock up
first under hard braking. Rear wheel lock -up can cause loss of
vehicle control and an accident. Have your vehicle repaired imme­ di ately by your authorized Audi dealer or a qualified workshop .
Drive slowly and avoid sudden, hard brake applications.
• If the brake warning/indicator light does not go out after a few
seconds and the parking brake released, or lights up while you are
driving, the fluid level in the brake fluid reservoir is too low. If you
believe that it is safe to do so, proceed immediately at low speed
to the nearest authorized Audi dealer or qualified repair facility
and have the brake system inspected.
• Always keep in m ind that after several brake applications , you
will need greater pressure on the brake pedal to stop your vehicle.
Do not rely on strained brakes to respond with maximum stopping
power in critical situations. You must allow for increased braking
distances. The extra distance used up by fading brakes could lead
to an accident. •

Driver info rmation d isplay
• Speed warnings threshold 1 B (USA models)/ 8 (Canada models)
and thresho ld 2
9, (USA mode ls)/ 8, (Canada models) are also shown
as red symbols . The warning is always shown as a small symbol in the
upper area of th e display ~
page 32. •
Alternator malfunction 0
If the D symbol in the instrument panel d isplay flashes, then there
is a malfunction in the alternator or the vehicle electronics . A warning
to the driver will appear, too. The driver warning goes out after about
5 seconds, but it can be brought up at any time by pressing the
[CHECK] button again .
Us ua lly, you can still drive to the next dea lership. Tu rn off all but the
mos t necessary elec trical consumers, since these drain the vehicle 's
battery.
0 Note
If the _ f_ warning symbol (coolant system malfunction) a lso lights up
on the instrument panel during the trip~
page 27, then you have to
stop immediate ly and turn off the engine. The coo lant pump is not
work ing anymore - danger of damage to the engine! •
Brake system malfunction
A malfunction in the brake system must be repaired as
soon as possible.
If the warning /indicator light BRAKE (USA models)/ (©)
(Canada models) in the instrument cluster flashes, there is a
brake system malfunction . By pressing the [CHECK] bu tton,
you can bring up a driver message which expla ins the
malfunct ion in more deta il.
Stop vehicle and check brake fluid level
- Pull off the road .
- Stop the vehicle .
- Turn off the engine .
- Chec k the bra ke fluid level=>
page 289 .
-Contact your nearest authorized repair facility if neces-
sary.
Warning! Fault in brake system. Conta ct
workshop
- Drive carefully to the nearest authorized repair facility and
have the malfunct ion corrected=> &,.
Parking brake! Please contact workshop
-If the warning/indicator light flashes when the vehicle is
statio nary or afte r the ignition is turned on, check to see if
the parking brake can be released. Drive to an authorized
repair facility as soon as possible and have the malfunc ­
tion corrected . If the parking brake cannot be re leased,
contact your neares t authorized repa ir facility .
If the warning/indicator light flashes while you are
dr iv ing , it is possible that the traction control or the emer ­
gency brake has malfunctioned. It is poss ible that the
park ing brake cannot be applied . It is also poss ible that
the parking brake cannot be released after it has been
applied . Drive to an authorized Audi dealer to have the
ma lfunction corrected .
If the ABS system malfunctions, th e ABS warn ing/indicator light i llu­
m inates together w ith the brake system malfunction warning/indi-
cator light~& . .,_

& WARNING
• Always observe the warnings in~ page 2 71, "Engine compart­
ment ", before opening the hood and che cking the brake fluid.
• Driving w ith low brake fluid is a safety haza rd. Stop the car and
get profe ssional a ssistan ce.
• USA models : If the BRAKE warning light and the warning
light come on tog ether, the rear wheel s could lock up fir st under
hard b raking. Rear wheel lock -up can cause loss of vehicle cont rol
and an a ccident . Have your vehicle repaired immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer or a qualified workshop. Drive slowly and
avoid sudden, hard brake application s.
• Canada models : If the brake warning light((])) and the ABS
warning light come on together , the rear wheel s could lock up
first under hard braking. Rear wheel lock-up can cause loss of
vehicle control and an accident. Have your vehicle repaired imme­ diately by your authorized Audi dealer or a qualified workshop.
Drive slowly and avoid sudden , hard brake applications. •
Engine cooling system malfunction _t_
A malfunction in the engin e cooling system must be
repaired as soon as possible.
When t he J_ symbol in the disp lay blinks , th en e ither the
engine coola nt
temperature is too high, or t he coolan t level
is too low. A n add itiona l dr iver messa ge ca n also be d isp layed
by pressing t he
[CHECK) bu tton :
Switch off engine and check coolant level
-Pull off the road.
- S to p the v ehicl e.
- Turn off the eng ine .
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first Driver information display
- Ch
eck coolant level => page 286 .
- Add coola nt if necessa ry=> page 287.
- Continue driv ing on ly after the eng ine coolant
war ning/i ndica tor light goes ou t.
- Contact your authorized Audi dea ler for assistance if
necessary.
If the eng ine coolan t leve l is correct, then the radiator fan may be the
cause of the malfu nction .
If the
D wa rning symbol (alternator ma lfunction) also lights up on
t he ins trumen t pa ne l~
page 2 6, the n th e fan b elt may be d amaged .
& WARNING
• If your vehicle should break down for mechanical or other
reasons, park at a safe distance from moving t raffic , turn off the
engine and turn on the hazard warning lights~
page 61, "Emer­
gency fl asher
A ".
• Never open the hood if you see or hear steam or coolant
escaping from the engine compartment -you risk being scalded.
Wait until you can no longer see or hear steam or coolant escaping .
• The engine compartment of any vehicle is a dangerous area. Before you perform any wo rk in the engine compartment, turn of
the engine and allow it to cool. Follow the warning stickers
~ page 2 71, "Engine compartment" .
0 Note
Do not continue driving if the -F-symbol illum inates. There is a
m alfu nct ion in the engine cooling system -yo u co uld da mage yo ur
engine. •
Vehicle care Technical data

Driver information display
Applies to veh icles : w ith eng ine s peed limitat ion
Engine speed limitation .?i
11'1 Do not exceed max. engine speed of XXXX rpm
The -symbol illuminates when there is an engine control malfunc­
tion. The indicator light in the instrument cluster also illuminates.
The engine speed is limited to the speed displayed in the driver infor­
mation system. Keep in mind that the engine speed will not exceed
the value d isp layed in the drive r informat ion system, for example
when downshifting.
Please go to an authorized Audi dealer or other qualified workshop to
have the malfunction repaired.•
Applies to vehicles: wi th Adap tive Light
Adaptive Light defective
adaptive light defective • r
When this symbol illuminates, it means that Adaptive Light is
defective. Go to an authorized dealership to have the headlights or
the control unit for the Adaptive Light repaired. •
Ignition lock malfunction ..e
If the symbol in the display comes on, there is a malfunc-
t ion in the electronic ignition lock. An additional driver
message can be displayed by pressing the [CHECK] button:
Defective ignition switch
-Drive to an aut horized service facility at your earliest
convenience to have the malfunction corrected.•
Windshield wipers faulty , . .>
.... Windshield wiper malfunction
When this symbol . illuminates, it means that the electronics for
the windshield wipers are defective . Please go to an authorized deal­
ership to have the windshield wiper system repaired. •
Speed warning system
Overview
The speed warning system helps you to keep your driving
speed below a set speed limit.
Th e speed warning system warns the driver if he exceeds a previously
stored maximum speed. A warning tone will sound as soon as the
vehicle speed exceeds the set speed by about 3 mph (3 km/h). At the
same time, a warning symbol appears in the display.
The speed warning system has
two warning thresholds that function
independently of each other and that have somewhat different
purposes :
Speed warning 1
You can use speed warning 1 to set the maximum speed while you are
driving. This setting w ill remain in effect until you turn off the igni­
tion, assum ing that you have not changed or reset the setting .
Th e speed warning symbo l
'8 (USA models)/ 8 (Canada mode ls) in
the warning 1 display appears when you exceed the maximum speed.
It goes out when the speed falls be low the stored maximum speed.
Th e speed warning symbol will also go out if the speed
exceeds the
stored maximum speed by more than about 25 mph (40 km/h) for at
least 10 seconds. The stored maximum speed is deleted.
Sett ing speed warn ing 1
=> page 33. ~

Clear vision
Clear vision
Lights
Switching the headlights on and off ·"ti-·
In the "AUTO" position, a light sensor automatically
switches the head- and taillights on and off in response to light condi tions.
Fi g. 46 In strument
p an el: li gh t swit ch
The ligh t switc h must not be overtur ned past t he stops in
either d irection.
Switching on automatic headlight control
- Turn the lig ht sw itch to AUTO => fig. 46 .
Switching on the side marker lights
-Turn the lig ht swi tch to ~oo~.
Switching on the headlights and high beam
- Tur n the lig ht sw itch to ~D.
- Push the high beam leve r forward tow ards the in strument
panel=>
page 62 .
Switching off the lights
- Tu rn th e lig ht swi tch to 0.
T he headlights on ly work when the ignitio n is switc hed on. Whi le
starting the engine or w hen switching off t he ignition, the headlig hts
w ill go off and o nly the s ide marke r lights will be o n.
After starting the eng ine, the headlights are automatically adjusted*
to the load and angle o f th e vehicle (for example, during acce lerat ion,
brak ing) . This prevents oncom ing traff ic from experiencing unneces ­
sary headlight glare from your head lig hts.
If the system is not operat ing p roperly, a warning symbol in the Auto­
Check Control is displayed=>
page 31.
With the side marker lights o r headlights switc hed on, the symbol
next to the light switch illum inates
':o oc .
Daytime running lights
• USA models: On vehicles w ith xenon lights the dayt ime runn ing
lights will come on automat ica lly when the ignition is turned o n and
the light switch=> fig. 46 is i n the
O position or the AUTO position
(only i n day light conditions) . The
D aytime running light s function
can be turned on and off in the MMI menu
Exterior lighting
=> page 59. On vehicles wit h halogen lights there is no daytime
r u nning lights fu nctio n=>
& -
• Canada models: The daytime ru nning lights wi ll come o n auto­
matically w hen the ignit io n is t urned on and t he light switch=> fig. 46
is in the
O p osition or the AUTO position (on ly in day light co nditions)
=> & -
Automatic headlight control
In the switch pos ition AUTO the automatic headlight control is
t u rned on. The low beams are t urned on automatically t hrough a light
sensor as soon as ambient br ight ness (e .g . when dr iving into a
t u nnel) falls below a val ue p reset at the factory . When ambient .,.